A Third Quarter Colder Than Milwaukee

Some people have a poker face.
Flip Saunders has a turnover face.

As previously mentioned in the last screen shot post of Wednesday’s Wizards-Bucks game, Washington had the same amount of turnovers in the third quarter as they did points. And that common number would be 12. For the heck of it, let’s chronicle each turnover (and a couple of other things) in screen shots and words.

It’s cold in Milwaukee. These turnovers are colder.

TURNOVER #1 – 10:04 >>You can’t see Randy Foye in his picture, but he is right behind the defender in the white circle.

Foye turned down a Blatche pick on the left side and drove the lane left toward the basket. However, he only dribbles twice and then picks the ball up as if he were going to make a scoring move (remember, Randy gets his inside shots blocked a lot, 11% of the time according to 82games.com, which actually isn’t horribly bad and is an improvement from 20% last season). This screen shot is taken at the exact moment he is picking up his dribble.

So Randy jumps in the air with defenders around him and no where to go. He’s horse-blinded into only seeing Mike Miller in the corner, but that passing lane is easily guarded by John Salmons, who is playing smart defense, seeing ball and aware of his man. Foye’s “no where to go” pass is picked off by Salmons. The question is … why pick up your dribble? Why jump without a chance to score? A smart point guard would have seen the defense closing in, kept his dribble and continued baseline, keeping his options open.

7:57 >> Here, the Wizards are in the zone defense. Luc Mbah a Moute (green circle) previously cut from the left block to the right elbow, he looked to be going to set a ball screen for Brandon Jennings on the right wing, who actually just reversed the ball to Carlos Delfino up top. The white arrows roughly represent Mbah a Moute’s movement, the orange arrows represent the ball’s movement.

Mbah a Moute turns around, cuts to the vulerable spot in the middle of the paint, which is left un-guarded by JaVale McGee because he wants to stay next to Andrew Bogut when Andray Blatche is already there (red circle). You can see Andray pointing out McGee’s assignment to him, but it’s too late. Luc’s a tough guy. Once he catches the ball alone in the paint with that much room, he’s going to make a good move. McGee needs to better protect his house.

JaVale compounds the problem by going for Mbah a Moute’s first pump fake … look kid, guys are almost ALWAYS going to give you a pump fake now that they know how you play. McGee fouls him, goes crashing down, and just about hurts himself because he is so unabashedly committed to leaving his feet.

This is not a position you want to be in on a basketball court … ever.

McGee picked up his fourth foul the next time down the court. He caught the ball at the three-point line and just figured he had free-reign to dribble to the hoop and barrel into Bogut. Offensive charge, TURNOVER #2. Take a seat.

TURNOVER #3 – 6:54 >> Andray Blatche traveling.

TURNOVER #4 – 6:05 >> The 8 second violation.

Brandon Jennings is right there. Quick as all get out. Al Thornton makes the casual pass behind his back that doesn’t exactly connect with Foye. Loose ball. Scramble. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8. Turnover.

TURNOVER #6 – 4:36 >>Mike Miller has Jennings posted up on the left block, but doesn’t make an immediate move. He dribbles twice, waits for the double to come, keeps looking for someone to pass it to, assuming a double will come, I guess so he can get the ball “poppin'”, but not assuming he can score on Jennings. Miller turns the ball over trying to pass it from the interior to the exterior.

4:16 >>Bogut goes for the steal, gambles, misses, and Mike Miller catches the ball right under the basket. Salmons is kinda in range of Miller, but C’MON DUDE YOU’RE WIDE OPEN RIGHT THERE!

Instead, Mike passes to Nick Young on the perimeter and Delfino is able to get out there to contest, very well I might add. Needless to say, Nick missed the shot.

No pump fake Nick Young? No drives? Can’t get to the basket? Just want to jack up jumpers?

TURNOVER #7 – 3:37 >> James Singleton cuts down the paint, Miller passes it to where he think he might be, Bogut chucks James off his path a tad (no call), but the pass was out of range and sloppy on Miller’s part anyway.

TURNOVER #8 – 3:06 >> Here, Earl Boykins just loses the ball on a dribble. Dribble a lot and it’s bound to happen eventually … just playing the percentages.

TURNOVER #9 – 2:52 >> Wizards/Boykins/Blatche get a steal … Earl goes down in transition, gets around Jennings at the basket, but when he goes up in the air, all of a sudden Bogut appears … and Boykins has already left his feet. Vulnerable. He tries to desperately pass it back to someone, but the areas is clogged with Bucks. Turnover.

TURNOVER #10 – 2:03 >> High screen and roll between Shaun Livingston and James Singleton. Shaun doesn’t make a real attempt to drive off the screen. Singleton spins the wrong way. Livingston floats a lazy bounce pass in his direction anyway, and it just sails out of bounds. Lack of crispness. Lack of familiarity. This team.

NOTE: Nick Young has no confidence in his shot now. This is easy to see. Hopefully it will come back. But unfortunately, he thinks he can just keep shooting and get out of his slump without doing any of the other things he needs to do as a basketball player. He is one-dimensional.

TURNOVER #11 – 0:37 >>Wiz turn it over on the in-bounds against Milwaukee pressure. Boykins is doubled, Livingston doesn’t recognize early enough and fails to make himself available in a timely manner, even though he is in the back-court. Boykins calls for the ball at one point, but Singleton, taking the ball out of bounds, hesitates and gives it to Earl a tad too late.

The ball bounces off body parts and beyond reach out of bounce. No chemistry.

Earl doesn’t want a $5 foot-long, he wants the ball when he asks for it.

TURNOVER #12 – 0:00 >>Livingston loses the ball at the buzzer trying to dribble, or something, near half-court.

That’s it folks … now wasn’t that fun?

Obviously I didn’t subject myself to the joy of re-watching the 4th quarter. It is what it is.

kyle; keep getting paid by writing about young, the more lie;s that you write about nick young the more we love nick young, and his game, AL score 2 point, and miller score 3 point, they both played 49 minutes to gather nick played 14 minute, and you want break down nick game every player on the wizards team except for nick young is bad keep writing you are joke [lol] nick is great eat it

http://rashadiscrazy.blogspot.com Rashad

I swear, while watching that third quarter, I kept thinking to myself, “Who are these guys? Where are the superstars on this team?”

http://www.truthaboutit.net/ Kyle Weidie

Hey Larry, who is this Nick Young guy you speak of? I’m not sure he’s been noticeable this season.

Is he the guy who shoots, and misses, just about every time he touches the ball?

Or is he the guy who shows hustle and desire only every once in a while?

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Truth About It.net, Washington Wizards Blog, ESPN TrueHoop Network -- Following the D.C. pro basketball franchise since the 90s and covering them in blog form since 2007 -- Opinion, Analysis, Irreverence, Pictures, Video, Interviews, Photoshops, News, Video, Quotes, Shares, and all the pixels about the Washington Wizards you can imagine.